Something very exciting is happening in one week, and I'd like to tell
you a bit about it.
A bit of background first....Two and a half years ago I happened
across some names and addresses of fellow pd'ers across the ocean. I
wrote to them, not really knowing what to expect in return. From
those initial tentative letters, I established a friendship with a man
by the name of Kees Paap. Something about our exchanges told me that
I had found a special friend. Someone who understood how I was
feeling about things, despite the boundaries of culture and
continents, someone who *really* knew what it was like to feel 'off'
and 'on', as well as all the other strange feelings only pd'ers have.
Our letters criss-crossed the ocean for two years until we had the
opportunity to meet in May when Kees flew to Toronto to speak at our
spring conference. We were fortunate to have him stay with us, and it
seemed as if we had known each other forever. When we said good-bye
after a too-quick visit somehow I knew that we'd be seeing each other
again soon.
'Soon' has turned into next Saturday, when my husband Al and I will be
flying to Amsterdam to participate in the Sponsorwalk that Kees has
been so busy organizing. It will take place on the same day as the
Toronto Walk, and will be the realization of an idea born over lunch
one day early in Kees' visit here. The efforts of Kees and the
Toronto Chapter of the Parkinson Foundation have been remarkable in
planning these events. Hopefully, next year we will be able to
co-ordinate the Sponsorwalk/Walkathon with similar events taking
place in September in other places around the world.
It never ceases to amaze me when I reflect on the special people I
have met in the past nine years since being diagnosed. I often wonder
how my life would have evolved differently had I not had Pd, but I
know that I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of friends
and acquaintances. Our common bond seems to break down any
preconceived barriers that there might have been, whether from
geography, background or gender and throws us into a pot where we are
all equal. Here we share knowledge and ideas, disappointments, and
successes, ask questions, offer support and seek comfort without fear
of sounding out of place.
I'm excited about our trip next week not only because we've never been
to Europe and I'm looking forward to seeing Kees again but because I
feel that in some small way we're making the world of Parkinson's a
bit smaller. I know that the only way to make Parkinson's a thing of
the past is to unite, make our cause known, and fight for more
research. Hopefully, the Sponsorwalks/Walkathons are a small step in
the right direction.
So it's off to the land of windmills and wooden shoes for this pd'er
from the land of Mounties and igloos :)
Lynda
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